The Old Kirke Museum

08/27/2026

Ending Our Summer Speaker Series With An All-Time Favorite! Fred Colgren, Education Director at the Gilmore Car Museum will wittle down for us "The History of Cars". Big topic and Fred can put it all into perspective. Always thoroughly entertaining and informative, feel free to ask questions.

10am, Old Kirke Museum, 304 Walnut St., Manistee.
We want to THANK and THANK AGAIN our speakers for honoring us with their time and talent - humbled, grateful - and THANK YOU, everyone, for coming out and supporting the Old Kirke this summer. Where would we be without you?

We plan to develop a few more programs and events through the year and we'll keep you posted. We even have a wedding at the Old Kirke this September!!!

08/19/2026

Ed Grafton, who writes under the pen name Henry Granger, will be at the Old Kirke Museum at 10 am Thursday, Aug. 20, to discuss his latest book, The Supper Club Murders. Part of the backstory for the book takes place at the museum, when the building was still Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. The event is free. The Old Kirke is located at 304 Walnut St. in Manistee.

Manistee County Library

08/15/2026

Who is the mysterious Ed Grafton?
Ed Grafton is a Michigan author who writes historical crime fiction and murder mysteries under the pen name Henry Granger. The author has set part of his latest book, "Undertow — A Crime's Story", in Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, now known as the Old Kirke Museum. Hey, that's us!
Other Grafton titles include "The Supper Club Murders," "Seven Beaches, Seven Murders".

Michigan author to discuss mystery novel at Manistee event
Click the link in the comments 👇️

08/12/2026

If you love our beautiful native Michigan you'll love listening to Josh Shields - who will be speaking at the Old Kirke this Thursday, August 13, at 10am. Please join us for "The Birds and The Bees and The Plants They Love" (and check out our native plants garden.

The Manistee and Mason-Lake Conservation Districts' program will be held at the Old Kirke Museum on Thursday, Aug. 13.

08/08/2026

We’re open today until noon! Stop by and see some of the amazing artifacts in the oldest Danish Lutheran church building in the U.S. Check out our exhibit, entitled Big Sticks, detailing Manistee’s lumbering history. See the Madsen Dioramas, hand carved scenes depicting the seasons of lumber camp.

08/04/2026

Manistee is a little jewel box full of historic homes and buildings. Help us welcome Angela Quinn, Lakeside Club Tour chair, for treating us all to an enjoyable presentation on this very topic this Thursday at 10am!

Old Kirke Museum to host presentation on historic Manistee buildings
Click the link in the comments 👇️

08/01/2026

got cupcake? We do!
Have a cupcake for breakfast with us, Saturday, August 1, 10am to noon, and help us wish a 157th Happy Birthday to this Old Kirke building.

On August 1, 1869 after a year of construction begun in 1868, this building held its first service for a congregation of Manistee's earliest Scandinavian immigrants. 20 Danes, 12 Norwegians, and 8 Swedes could now gather in their own house of worship amid familiar fellowship.

Please join us to enjoy a cupcake or two and raise a glass of lemonade or iced tea in honor of this treasured historical building. We'll have traditional goodies like pepparkaker, kanelbulle, and hollongrottor at Sleighbell time.

07/30/2026

Join One Of Our Favorite Speakers Today.
Mike Nagle, History & Political Science Professor, WSCC, will present, "If The Declaration of Independence Could Talk, What Story Would It Tell?" Promises to be a fascinating discussion and nobody tells a good story better than Mike.
10am
Part of of our "First Person Stories and Songs" Series
Always free. Always Entertaining.

07/29/2026